


Paperboy

by wackyjacqs



Series: Bizarre Holidays [249]
Category: Stargate SG-1
Genre: Alternate Reality, F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-17
Updated: 2020-11-17
Packaged: 2021-03-10 00:40:05
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,719
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27605021
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/wackyjacqs/pseuds/wackyjacqs
Summary: “What are you all looking at?” Jack finally snapped.Daniel, one of the staff reporters, cleared his throat. “The, uh, newest member of the team has just arrived.”
Relationships: Samantha "Sam" Carter/Jack O'Neill
Series: Bizarre Holidays [249]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1234973
Comments: 23
Kudos: 69





	Paperboy

**Author's Note:**

> Written for ‘Newspaper Carrier Day’ (4 September). AU.

Jack set a cup of coffee down on his desk and glanced around the busy newsroom. Half of his team weren’t exactly subtle as they tried to catch a glimpse into George Hammond’s office, while the other half pretended to work, all the while darting curious glances in his direction.

“What are you all looking at?” he finally snapped.

Daniel, one of the staff reporters, cleared his throat. “The, uh, newest member of the team has just arrived.”

_Of course they had,_ Jack thought as he bit back a sigh.

Under the new leadership of George Hammond as Editor-in-Chief, The Cheyenne Chronicles was going from strength to strength and, as a result, additional appointments were being made to the news team to help cover the workload and the various editions they published. So, while Jack didn’t mind and was thankful for any help George could give him, he really wasn’t in the mood for breaking in a new member of staff this morning.

Especially when it wasn’t even someone Jack had picked for the role. He liked to put together his own team; he had high standards and he always made sure his people not only knew their jobs, but also trusted each other and worked well together. This latest role was for a news editor; and they’d be working directly under Jack, which was another reason why he was unhappy about having a say in their appointment. He had asked for more information on the new hire, but George had simply smiled at him and said, _‘Trust me on this one, Jack’._

“Uh, Jack?”

Daniel’s voice cut through his thoughts and he frowned.

“Did you hear what I said?”

Jack stared at him for a moment longer before he sat down at his desk and pulled a stack of papers towards him. “Yeah,” he shrugged, “the new guy is here.”

“Uh, yeah,” Daniel hesitated, “about that. We –”

“Jack?” He looked up to see George standing in the doorway to his office. “Can I see you for a minute, please?”

“Here we go,” he muttered to himself as he got to his feet and started to make his way across the room.

“Um, Jack? There’s something you should know. The –”

“Don’t worry, Daniel,” he said dryly, “I’ll be on my best behavior.”

With that, he stepped into Hammond’s office and closed the door behind him.

* * *

“OK, people,” George said cheerily, and effectively calling the meeting to an end, “if that’s everything…”

Jack nodded slowly in agreement, but he actually had a _lot_ of questions for his boss. He wasn’t stupid enough to voice them just yet, but he was still reeling from the fact that the new hire – whom he’d only known as Sam Carter – was actually _Samantha_ Carter.

And not only did she come with a very impressive résumé, but she seemed incredibly intelligent and had a sharp, wry sense of humor that he appreciated. Oh, and she was hot. _Very hot._

So, yeah, he had a few questions for George but for propriety’s sake, he cleared his throat and said, “That’ll be everything – _for now._ ”

He ignored the grin the older man sent in his direction and instead got to his feet. Silently, Sam followed and he watched her out of the corner of his eye as she grabbed her jacket and purse from the back of the chair. She moved towards Jack as he headed for the door and when he glanced back at her to make sure she was following him, she smiled.

“Carter?”

“Don’t worry, sir,” she said, “I won’t let you down.”

He studied her for a moment before he opened the door. “That’s good,” he drawled, “but I was going to say ladies first.”

He heard the voices coming from the newsroom so he waved at Sam to take the lead however as soon as they both stepped into the newsroom, silence descended as everyone turned to look at them. Jack glowered.

“Get back to work. Carter,” he added with a long-suffering sigh as he gestured widely to the now busy newsroom, “meet the team.”

He moved a few steps to the right to one set of tables and stopped.

“Fellas,” he greeted. “This is Samantha Carter, our new news editor. Sam,” he said, “this is Kawalsky, Ferretti, Reynolds and Mitchell. They make up our sports desk,” he explained as he pointed to each man in turn.

“It’s nice to meet you all,” she smiled, shaking their hands.

“Likewise, Samantha,” Kawalsky nodded, before he shifted his gaze to Jack.

“I’ll get the headlines from you in a minute, Charlie,” Jack cut in before his friend could say anything incriminating. He waved for Sam to follow him to the far end of the table.

“This is Daniel, T, Jonas, and Janet,” Jack continued, again pointing to each of them in turn, “they are the staff reporters.”

“Local news, features, specialist areas, that kind of thing?” Sam asked.

Jack nodded. “Yeah. Guys – and girl,” he smirked, when Janet rolled her eyes, “this is Sam Carter.”

Daniel stood as he shook Sam’s hand. “Welcome to The Cheyenne Chronicles,” he smiled. “How are you finding the job so far?”

“She’s been here all of thirty minutes, Daniel,” Jack said in exasperation.

“I’m just making conversation,” he defended with a shrug. “It’s how people communicate – as you’ll soon discover in my next feature… If you actually bother to read it this time.”

“I can’t wait,” Jack muttered.

He caught the amused look Sam sent in his direction and felt his own lips turn upward. When he heard Daniel cough, he glanced over to see his friend staring at him pointedly. He rolled his eyes and then reached up and lightly tapped Sam’s elbow with the back of his fingers.

“C’mon,” he said.

As they crossed the room and made their way along another set of desks, Sam received a whistle-stop tour of the rest of the team; from Walter and Vala in the graphics department, to their advertising manager, Catherine Langford.

By the time Jack circled back around to his desk, he realized Siler from IT had paid a visit as a small table has been pushed alongside his, along with an uncomfortable-looking plastic chair. On the desk, sat a lone computer screen and keyboard along with an A4 sheet of paper. A quick glance told Jack it was Sam’s log-in details.

He pulled out his own chair and sat down before he gestured for her to do the same.

“Alright,” he said, as he reached for his now-lukewarm coffee, “let’s get to work.”

* * *

Despite his earlier surliness and unwillingness to show her around, Jack had watched Sam work over the course of the morning and he had to admit that he was more than impressed. For being the new-start on her first day; she hadn’t been afraid to stand up and offer an (often better) alternative to some of his editorial decisions. She knew what worked and what didn’t, and she also seemed to be an instant hit with the rest of his team.

It meant that, by lunchtime, they had already settled into a routine and – even more miraculously – for the first time in years, the team had finished the latest edition of the paper ahead of the deadline.

“I think this calls for a celebration, sir,” Jack grinned as Hammond congratulated them all on a _‘good job, well done’._

The older man chuckled as he turned back to his office. “I’ll see you there, Jack.”

Taking that as permission to officially end his shift, Jack shut down his computer and glanced over at Sam. “Whaddya say, Carter?”

“Sir?”

“It’s Jack, remember,” he said as he shrugged into his jacket, “want to head to O’Malleys for drinks with the team?”

“Oh,” she said, then hesitated, “I don’t –”

“Aw, c’mon, Sam,” Daniel added as he suddenly appeared at her desk, “it’ll be fun.”

“And a good way to get to know everyone – away from the news desk,” Jack nodded as he grabbed his keys. “I’ll even give you a ride.”

Sam watched him for a moment before she switched off the computer screen and stood. “Sounds good to me.” She then gave Jack a wide smile that made him momentarily forget about everything else around him.

* * *

Jack held the door open and placed his other hand on the small of Sam’s back as he let her step into O’Malley’s first.

“Looks like we’re the first here,” he said as he guided her towards the bar. “So, what’s your poison?” he asked.

“Beer is fine,” she smiled, “please.”

He helped her out of her jacket before she sat down on the empty stool beside him and he ordered their drinks. As Sam studied their surroundings, Jack took the opportunity to study her. He already knew she was smart and funny and underneath all of her professionalism was someone who didn’t always take themselves too seriously, but he also noticed that she was curious and perceptive and he watched with interest as Sam’s gaze settled on the pool table in the far corner of the bar moments before her lips turned upward. The question escaped him before he could stop it.

“You play?”

Sam’s smile widened. “I’ve been known to play a game or two.”

“You any good?”

“I’ve been known to win a game or two.”

“Really?”

Sam smirked in response and Jack instinctively leaned against the bar and closer to her. “Fancy a game while we wait for the others to join us?”

She slowly met his eye and he felt something inside him shift.

“What are we playing for?” she asked.

“Money? Loser buys drinks? Whatever you want,” he shrugged. “Not that it really matters,” he added lightly as he grabbed their beers, right before he grinned, “because I’m going to win.”

“Oh,” Sam chuckled as she plucked her drink from his hand and jumped down from the bar stool. “I don’t think so.”

With that, she turned on her heel and made her way towards the pool table and Jack found himself checking her out before he quickly followed her. Suddenly, he no longer cared whether he won or lost pool against Carter because he had a feeling that this was going to be both the best – and worst – working relationship he’d ever had.


End file.
